Believing the Lord

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

God had promised to send the Messiah almost from the very beginning, from the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head in Gen. 3, to the Lord coming to His temple in Malachi 3. Now at last that promise was about to be fulfilled.

Blessed

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, twice pronounces Mary blessed.

Means to have God’s favor

The final blessing is not for Mary only but for all who believe that God will accomplish His will.

Believing

Mary is blessed by believing. Her belief is more than just knowing that God can do all things, it is being convinced that God would do what He said, that He would accomplish what He had promised.

Isaiah 55:10–11 NIV84

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Peter Eldersveld tells of a rich Christian who had a large company of employees, and many of them owed him money. He was constantly trying to teach them something about Christianity, and one day he hit upon a plan. He posted a notice for his employees to see that said, “All those who will come to my office between eleven and twelve o’clock on Thursday morning to present an honest statement of their debts will have them canceled at once.” The debtors read the notice with a great deal of skepticism, and on Thursday morning, although they gathered in the street in front of his office, not one of them went to the door. Instead they gossiped and complained about their employer, and ridiculed the notice he had posted. They said it didn’t make sense.

Finally, at 11:45, one man jumped forward, dashed up the steps into the office, and presented his statement. “Why are you here?” the rich man asked him. “Because you promised to cancel the debts of all those who come as you instructed,” the other replied. “And do you believe the promise?” “Yes, I do.” “Why do you believe it?” persisted the employer. “Because, although it was too much for me to understand, I know that you are a good man and would not deceive anyone.”

The rich man took the bill and marked it “Paid in full,” at which time the poor man, overcome, cried out, “I knew it! I told them so! They said it couldn’t be true, and now I’m going out to show them.” “Wait,” said his benefactor, “it’s not quite twelve o’clock. The others are not entitled to any special proof of my sincerity.”

When the clock struck twelve, the forgiven debtor ran out waving his receipt in the face of his fellows. With a mad rush they made for the door, but it was too late. The door was locked.

God is certainly faithful, and is able to bring about whatever He desires.

What will God accomplish?

When the angel told Mary that she would bear a son and that He would be called Son of the Most High, and Son of God, she probably realized that this was referring to the prophecy of Isaiah:

Isaiah 9:6–7 NIV84

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Will be called:

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

Government will be on His shoulders

Reign on David’s throne forever

Establishing justice and righteousness

It may have been overwhelming for Mary to consider all of this, she may have thought it was too good to be true, but she knew God promised to do this and that God had chosen her to carry it out. She believed that God would do it.

The first coming of Jesus was only the first part of the promise being fulfilled. The final fulfillment is still to come with Christ’s second Advent.

We have God’s promises, we may believe that God is able to do everything He has promised, but do we believe He will do it for us? Do we trust that God will be with us always, that He will provide for our needs, that He will forgive our sins, that He will use us to bring about His will? Do we really believe that Christ will come again, putting and end to this age with all its evils? Just as God brought about Jesus’ birth, so we can be certain that He will return.

If we believe this it will influence the way we live, and the result is that we will be blessed. God will accomplish all that He has said.

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